Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemPrincipal and teacher perceptions of the leadership role of principals in Hong Kong Protestant Christian secondary schools following the change of sovereignty to China( 2004)This research investigated the phenomenon of principal leadership in Hong Kong Protestant Christian secondary schools following the change of sovereignty to China on 1st July, 1997. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology, 9 principals and 16 teachers were interviewed about their perceptions of principal leadership. They were from within a network of secondary schools administered by the Sponsoring Body (SB)-a council of churches of one Protestant Christian denomination. Transcripts were analysed with techniques drawn from that of phenomenology, hermeneutics and case study, and verified with documents collected from the interviewees. The perceived leadership role of principals was found to be complex and multi-dimensional, with 18 leadership themes described and 14 themes where change was noted in the leadership role due to the change of sovereignty. Comparing the themes of the principals and the teachers, the degree of similarity was judged to be high, indicating that the principals generally enacted their leadership role as they described. Based on the research findings and comparison with the leadership literature, a Christian principal leadership model was constructed, that consists of four leadership conceptions which correspondingly inform four broad leadership roles: (1) Christian leadership-administering Christian education-the principal led prayer, spoke in assemblies and supported religious programs. (2) Instructional leadership-teaching and learning-indirectly practised by the principal who delegated the Deputy Principals and the subject or department heads to share the supervisory role. (3) Transformational leadership-transforming the school community the principals showed the characteristics of transformational leaders. (4) School-based Management-SBM and development-official implementation in 2000 required relevant leadership, highlighting the characteristics of increased accountability and heavy workload. These roles were further connected to the leadership functions derived from the 18 themes. This model emphasizes the principal leadership role being enacted on the basis of Christian principles, committing education to God, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
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ItemA Case study of retention policy strategies and their impact on Weixi Lisu ethnic minority students, Yunnan Province, the PRC( 2003)The overall aim of this research is to explore the current national and provincial ethnic minority education policies related to retention rates and their implementation strategies, together with their impact on the ethnic minority groups in Yunnan Province in the 1990s. As Yunnan Province has strong representation of 25 ethnic minority groups in the People's Republic of China within its population, the problems associated with ethnic minority education is particularly relevant and complex. One of the most serious issues to emerge in the education of ethnic minority groups is the high dropout rate resulting in low school retention rates. This thesis, in particular, focuses on the Weixi Lisu schooling retention rates in Weixi Lisu Autonomous County of Yunnan Province, the People's Republic of China in order to explore the specific factors that affected retention rates, and the ways in which the implementation strategies impacted on Weixi Lisu. As a result, policies and strategies to improve the Weixi Lisu schooling retention rates are recommended to assist the provincial government to design policies to increase the retention rates of ethnic minority students in Yunnan Province. A contextual analysis includes a discussion of Yunnan's geographical location, its socio-economic development and the factors associated with ethnic minority groups' education. The literature, then, provides an insight into ethnic students' education and retention issues. It focuses on the low retention rates in Weixi Lisu Autonomous County. From the literature review questions emerging included: What are the factors that affect retention rates? What policy strategies have been effective in increasing the retention rates? How do low school retention rates impact on the Weixi Lisu community? Within the qualitative paradigm, the research questions, methodology and interview schedule are discussed. Five themes emerged from the analysis of the data. It was found that a basic cause of low retention rates is the lack of economic development, which expresses itself in a high level of poverty. The main fording is explored and examined within the context of the literature research. It is a key recommendation that overcoming poverty and developing self-management of schools at the local level would improve the enrolment rate and retention rate. This research provides valuable information for those involved in education planning, education policymaking within the Yunnan Education Commission and Ethnic Minority Affairs of Yunnan Province, and for other governments interested in these policy issues. Researchers in the areas of education and culture who would ford this valuable resource.